Nissan Murano vs Mazda CX-9: which is more reliable?
The Mazda CX-9 is ahead of the Nissan Murano on the federal record, 84/100 against 79/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Nissan Murano
- 15 model years scored
- 1,074 owner complaints on record
- about 8 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (94/100) · worst 2015 (37/100)
Mazda CX-9
- 11 model years scored
- 885 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2012 (50/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Murano against CX-9
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Nissan Murano
- Unknown Or Other — 214 complaints
- Power Train — 201 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 complaints
Mazda CX-9
- Engine — 302 complaints
- Service Brakes — 284 complaints
- Power Train — 87 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Murano's complaints concentrate in Unknown Or Other, the CX-9's in Engine. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Nissan Murano — avoid: 2015.
Mazda CX-9: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020….
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200 — the Mazda CX-9 is roughly $6,600 less, and they return 23.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Murano or the Mazda CX-9 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mazda CX-9 scores 84/100 against the Nissan Murano's 79/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Nissan Murano and Mazda CX-9 years should I avoid?
Nissan Murano: 2015. Mazda CX-9: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Murano and the Mazda CX-9?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Murano is Unknown Or Other (214 complaints); on the Mazda CX-9 it is Engine (302).
Is the Nissan Murano or the Mazda CX-9 cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.